


Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

by BluBooThalassophile



Series: HfaB Universe [50]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 20:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooThalassophile/pseuds/BluBooThalassophile
Summary: Duke asked Naomi for a first date, let the fun times follow!
Relationships: Duke Thomas/Naomi McDuffie
Series: HfaB Universe [50]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/958764
Kudos: 8





	Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

There was one thing, one really important thing, Duke had learned from having a family like the Bats: **Life Was Short, So Live It Like It Was Your Last Day Every Day**.

With that philosophy in mind, because while it was a grim, honest philosophy, it was the only thing which was propping him up with the courage to do this.

Duke could sit here all day and point out the reasons that he should do this, mainly he wasn’t his brothers. But a talk with Jason, last night on patrol after Jason had taken a bullet for him had changed his mind. Dick and Kori were dead. Tammy was about to be pulled off life support. And… life was short, and Duke didn’t want to die not knowing if he even really had a shot with the most amazing, beautiful, smart, funny girl he had met. He didn’t want to be like Jason, Duke didn’t want to love his best friend and never know if he even had a shot. He had asked her out this morning.

Which was what brought him to right this minute as he lifted his hand and hesitantly knocked on the door.

The dorm was grimy, used, lived in. The door, the ominous door; he’d busted in one that was bigger last night with Jason when they’d been hunting down a dangerous killer; a man who killed kids. Shaking the grim thoughts from his head he watched the door open. She smiled brightly, her hair pulled up, the many braids were elegantly pulled up in a twist, her gold clips were lovely, he thought her the loveliest thing he had ever seen.

“Hey!” she stopped out, into the hall, shutting the door. He noted her white big scarf, the lovely grey sweater, a yellow jacket, her black jeans, and the black boots. She looked like a goddess; and he could say that after having met a few goddesses. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” he smiled as he offered her his arm.

“Duke?”

“I have an older brother and grandfather who’d kick my butt if I wasn’t a gentleman, a perfect gentleman,” he smiled charmingly.

“It’s archaic!” she said taking his arm.

“No, it’s manners, and my mama would insist I use them,” he corrected.

“Fine, but I’m getting the doors,” she decided.

“Nope, I promised to be a perfect gentleman,” he countered.

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes as she smiled good naturedly.

“So, where are we going on this mystery date!?” she asked with a light tone and a happy smile, her amber eyes were glinting in anticipation.

“Coffee, with some live music, I found a hole in the wall book café.” He admitted, grabbing the door before she could, and she walked through before they linked arms again. Jason had actually told him about it, but a little white lie for good coffee and good music weren’t a crime.

“Sounds lovely,” she smiled. “So… done any of the clubs sign ups or sports teams?” she asked.

“I was looking to join a club, but I just can’t see the time, and I am on a team, the Princeton Rowing Teaming,” he smirked.

“How did I not know this!?” she sputtered.

“‘Cause no one pays attention to rowing, what about you? Any clubs or sports?”

“Sports are out, because… you know,” she giggled mischievously with a delicate shrug. He laughed, Naomi McDuffie could lift a building, throw and asteroid, punch a crater in the earth, he guessed sports wouldn’t have the same thrill if it was a fight to be normal. “Instead I joined Spoon and Tiger Magazine,” she smiled happily.

“Damn, you’re busy,” he chuckled.

“Well, I figured those would be fun compared to my actual journalism courses,” she defended.

“Those must be terribly dry,” he decided in mock humor. She laughed as she leaned on him a bit.

“And what about you?”

“History and the Practice of Diplomacy and Translation and Intercultural Communication,” he answered.

“But you’re a…”

“I’m the middle child of an insanely large family, and feel that I want to make a difference, a real difference, in my personal and hero life. Also, there’s some jazz studies, cause its music my mama loved,” he smiled. “I hope to work for the State Department.”

“You want to be a politian?”she grimaced in obvious distaste.

“No, no I do not. I want to help people, actually do something to help people, and after many talks with my brothers, and family, I think working for the State Department will offer me that opportunity best,” he said. “And you?”

“I want to tell the truth, not enough people have access to the truth, I mean, there’s so much the world doesn’t know with other countries having blocks on media and what the people can and cannot hear about. America is great, because we can tell the truth, and I want to do that. I want to be an investigative reporter, and I want to help people get the truth.”

“Ah, so you want to be like Uncle C!” he smiled as they made it to their café.

“Yes, but I want to be like Lois Lane,” she smiled.

“Wise, Lois is formidable, but I can put in a word for you,” he offered.

“I…”

“Look, she’s family, of sorts, giving her your number isn’t me doing the work for you, you’ll have to prove yourself to her, this is just me introducing you to connections you might not make otherwise.”

“Alright, but no pushing it, if she says no, she says no.”

“Agreed.” As he grabbed the door and they joined the small line.

“Ooo! They have Raspberry Escargot! You HAVE to try this, it’s amazing!” she gasped stared at the pastry case.

“You’re competing with Gateau a L’Orange, but I’ll have a bite of yours if you try a bite of mine. They make it like my granmè, not even Alfie or Jay can make it this good!”

“Isn’t that a desert?”

“Aren’t all pastries?” he challenged with a wicked smile.

“No, no they are not, but I don’t even care because I’m hungry and I miss Raspberry Escargot so much I nearly cried the other night craving it and not finding it.”

“Fair,” he agreed.

They placed their order, with a brief battle of who was paying at the register. He won, but she paid the tip; they took a seat near the window.

“You said granme?” she said with a questioning look as she put her bag down.

“Granmè,” he corrected with a thick accent.

“You speak French!?” she smiled.

Dropping into his old accent with ease he smiled. “Non, non, non, cheri, mwen pale kreyòl! Kreyòl Ayisyen, ki diferan de kreyòl Lwizyana. Ak diferan de franse.”

“Whoa, I have no idea what you said, but that was the prettiest thing I have ever heard,” she blinked at him with large amber eyes. “Where’d you learn that?”

“My family is from Haiti, or was, we were refugees of Hurricane Georges back in ‘98,” he said. “I didn’t speak English until I was eight and going to school, and then it was poor. My mama tutored me. I still speak Creole, Jay’s the only other one of the family that does so I’m not out of practice. The rest of the time I speak French or Spanish with the family, David used to only speak French.”

“That’s way cooler than being an orphan from another dimension,” she decided.

He chuckled as their orders were called out. Getting up he went to get their food and drinks, picking up napkins, and utensils as he walked back, he evaded a grumpy looking customer and put their food down at the table.

“Thank you,” Naomi smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

“You know, having a gentleman isn’t bad, my last date was not a gentleman,” she said as she started in on the Raspberry Escargot.”

“Then you were wasted on a fool,” he decided as he slowly started in on the Gateau a L’Orange, he nearly moaned in delight. It tasted like old memories, good times, and just as his granmè would make it.

“If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?” Naomi prompted.

“New Orleans,” he answered without hesitation.

“Really?”

“Wi.”

“Why?”

“The music, the food, the history, the vodou.” He said. “Laissez les bon temps rouler!”

“Really? The voodoo?”

“No, vodou,” he corrected. “And yes, my granmè was a big believer, it’s all familiar.”

“You believe in that?”

“I don’t not believe in it,” he decided.

“Okay… why?”

“Well, my big brother’s best friend was an all-powerful, magic wielding demoness, and the JL regularly works with Zatanna and Fate, so while I do not practice or necessarily believe, I have not ruled it out as real,” he said.

“Makes sense, the world’s too weird to rule out anything.” Naomi nodded. “Here, try,” she offered him a bit of her Raspberry Escargot. Taking it, he popped it in his mouth, letting the tart sweetness wash over his taste buds. “Eh! Isn’t it good!?” she asked with a smile and a happy looked.

“Very delicious, here try,” he cut her a bite of his. She stabbed it and took it quickly. He laughed at her delighted expression.

“Dude, I… whoa,” she blinked and stared at his food.

“Pretty good, isn’t it?”

“That’s amazing!” she decided. “Okay, so weird q, but… why don’t you have the cool island accent when you speak English?”

“You mean this accent?” he asked, letting his old accent shine through.

“Yeah! It’s just… it’s warmer than a Gotham accent,” she chuckled.

“I learned English in Gotham, Gotham’s accent is hard not to pick up when you’re learning,” he chuckled.

“Cool!” she grinned broadly. He smiled, this was fun, and nice. “What about you?”

“Nothing cool other than the you know, from my dimension. I don’t even remember my birth parents. But I got lucky, I got an awesome set of parents who love me,” she decided.

“Always awesome to have a family that loves you,” he said.

“Agree,” she mused enthusiastically.

“So, other than being a journalist, what do enjoy doing.”

“Outside of studying my butt off, I like Hulu or Netflix & Chill, because those go together,” she promised. “You.”

“Same,” he chuckled.

“Oh my god! Okay, we got to compare shows!” she decided.

Thus started the great debate of the drastically different tastes in shows. Naomi was in love with This is Us , Brooklyn 99, Black Mirror, Orange is the New Black, and the Twilight Zone.

He was more along the crime shows; and firefighter shows; as it was the only thing the entire family would agree to watch without arguing. He also like the Resident, Chicago Fire, Mind Hunter, the Crown, and Supernatural.

It was about an hour later when his phone buzzed, his alarm for class.

“Oh, this has been an awesome date,” she giggled.

“I wish it didn’t have to end,” he sighed as he picked up their garbage and tossed it. Turning back to Naomi he offered her his hand, she gave him an exasperated look, but accepted it as she was hoisted to her feet, grabbing her small purse. Offering her his elbow again, she slipped her arm in his as he lead her to the door.

“We should do this again,” he said.

“We should,” she smiled.

“Dinner and a movie next time?” he asked.

“Sounds lovely,” she decided.

“Excellent,” he smiled.

“You know, I was not expecting a successful date, there’s always some calamity whenever we hang out, like in Metropolis.”

“To be fair, that was entirely Dami and Tim’s doing,” he defended.

“Oh sure, and Luthor’s baby clone had nothing to do with it,” she snorted.

“Matt is an innocent, devious baby!” he defended.

“He’s a baby!” she defended.

“He’s a member of the family, so he’s devious, it’s in our genetic code even if we are not related.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, our last kidnapper offered to pay us to take Terry and Helena back,” he defended.

“Oh God!” she laughed.

“B’s children, we’re nightmares,” he promised.

She was howling with laughter and leaning heavily on him. “This is fun, I like you Duke. I had an awesome time.”

“Me too, and the world didn’t end!” he grinned.

“So this second date…?”

“Tuesday at seven o’clock sound good?” he asked quickly.

“Sounds… are you stalking me?” she demanded.

“Never, I’m free, Tuesday.”

“Oh, good, so am I,” she smiled.

“Great, Jay told me of this Italian place and he swears it’s to die for.”

“Cool, but I’m not going to some sappy chickflick, so I’ll pick the movie we go to, so as to save you from the humiliation of taking me to something like Last Christmas,” she decided.

“Fair.”

“See you Tuesday, at seven,” she said.

“See you then,” he smiled. He caught her hand and pulled her to him, Naomi looked startled, so he moved slow, leaning over and kissing her lips lightly. She still tasted of raspberries, a small smile was on her lips when he pulled away.

“You call that a kiss Duke?”

“No, I call that a preview of a kiss, see you Tuesday,” he said as she walked into her building. Naomi paused, waved at him before she disappeared into the dorm. He waited a minute for her, then he ran like hell for his class before he could be late.


End file.
